Overview EWB-VT is working in Xix, a small area located in the El Quiche department of Guatemala. We are working on a water and public health project servicing Cefonma Centro de Formacion Nuevos Mayas, a Mayan boarding school. The school itself focuses not only on traditional schooling but also on imparting community leadership through citizen responsibility and service. Cefonma disposes waste by digging waste pits to be paved over with concrete when full, but this method has reduced the school’s productive land. CEFONMA also has no supply of water for three months each year when their spring runs dry.
 Guatemala Project Timeline 2011 The Guatemala team flew into Guatemala City on May 15, 2011. They met with a local drilling company and gathered supplies before traveling to Xix. In Xix they surveyed the site and preformed soil tests. They also learned about common illnesses in the area from a doctor at a nearby clinic. The team showed students how to use water quality kits. They collected more medical data at Chajul and met with town engineers. Some of the successes from the trip were:
2008 In 2008 members of EWB-VT traveled to Xix to meet our local partners for the first time. During the trip, plans were laid for future projects. We thought of a way to clean the water supplies there, and decided to implement this design during our next trip. 2009 EWB-VT traveled to Guatemala in May of 2009 and installed a treatment system to treat the school's water source, as decided from earlier planning trips. Because the water source is seasonal, the project team switched focus to providing a year-round water source for the school, as well as providing solutions for other needs such as wastewater drainage. | Current Activities In March 2012 EWB-VT-GT will discuss the alternatives with the community and allow them to make final decisions about wastewater treatment and water supply options. In May 2012 the chosen septic system design will be implemented and EWB-VT-GT will begin fundraising and designing the chosen water supply option. EWB-VT-GT plans to continue communicating with CEFONMA after the project is complete, but the final product will be CEFONMA’s own sustainable system. A water conservation/ education program has been established by EWB-VT-GT to communicate the broader impacts of the project to CEFONMA and develop a Spanish operation/maintenance manual for existing and future implemented systems. If you are interested in joining the Guatemala listserv, please contact Eric De Leon (gderic91@vt.edu) or Becky Halvorson (rahal@vt.edu). |
Guatemala Project |